Freshly Squeezed
How to Craft Culinary Masterpieces in Cramped Quarters
Jonah Reider was an undergrad when he launched four-seat supper club Pith in his Columbia University dorm room. By senior year, he was graduating with a dual B.A. in sociology & economics & a veritable Masters in creating great meals when space & resources are limited. By that time the waiting list for his $15 meals was a few thousand deep, his Instagram account was blowing up & he was taking meetings with Anthony Bourdain.
Pith supper club founder, Jonah Reider. Credit: Jonah Reider
It sounds fancier than it is: The very core of Reider’s concept is unpretentiousness, authenticity & ease. “The best way to connect with people, which is the whole point of being alive, is to be creating & consuming something with them,”
says Reider, 22. And, he says, if you think of cooking as an improvisational & social act, suddenly you’re free not to have to worry about equipment or ingredients or “following these recipes that are so stressful & complicated.”
As Reider says, if you start thinking about creating your meal not as another chore, but as a component of life—like exercise— you’ll find it’s a fun habit to have. And it makes cooking a million times better. Luckily, his rules for entertaining, which he shares here, couldn’t be simpler.
Resources Matter More Than Ingredients
“Everyone needs a cast-iron skillet, a nice knife, kosher salt & olive oil. If you have those things—and a stovetop—you’re pretty much set to do whatever you want. And if you own a blender, you’re really in business.”
Spice Is The Key To Variety
“A stocked spice cabinet takes the pressure out of shopping because it means you can make a meal out of a few vegetables & a small piece of fish or meat. I like cumin, coriander, chilies, sumac, different salts, green & pink peppercorns, and I recommend buying them whole. That way you can toast them yourself in your cast iron pan. (If you don’t have a blender, you can use that pan to grind them on your countertop.) It’s always great to have fresh thyme, oregano, rosemary & sage, too.”
Reider’s recipe for success? Unpretentiousness, authenticity & ease. Credit: Jonah Reider
Buy Local
“Cooking is a good way to engage with your community. A meal starts with me meandering around New York City finding ingredients that pique my interest & that I can afford. I try to vary texture & color. But my meals otherwise come together in a very loose way.”
Ask friends to chip in
“Cooking together is great fun, but maybe not if you have a tiny apartment. If someone asks what they can bring, suggest an ingredient—you can assign it to them or they can pick. If they pick, ask them to tell you ahead of time. That way you can incorporate it into whatever you’re making.”
Make The Meal Interactive
“Crudité is a fancy French word people have given to a plate of carrots & cauliflower. But I like the idea. My version is less fancy & more fun. I blanch, then chill vegetables & pair with a yogurt-based dip & a bowl of breadcrumbs—you stick the veggie in the dip, then in the breadcrumbs. People like having something to do.”
Finish Strong
Like with an easy sorbet.
Sorbet
To make sorbet, all you need is any liquid base—it can be sugar & water, herbal tea & mint, a fruit puree or juice—and high-proof alcohol (like vodka or tequila), which stops it from freezing totally & makes things a little fun. Play around with your base until you find something you think tastes good.
4 cups liquid base
¼ cup high-proof alcohol
Mix your base & the alcohol together in a bowl or container & pop in the freezer for a few hours. When it’s frozen—but not a solid block—throw it in the blender & blend until it has a slush-like consistency. Then put it back in the freezer until you’re ready to serve. And that’s it!